


Seeds and Eggs

by flyingorfalling



Series: Where The Green Grass Grows [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Iron Baby, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 15:17:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15888657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingorfalling/pseuds/flyingorfalling
Summary: Tony and Pepper tell Morgan where the babies come from.





	Seeds and Eggs

**Author's Note:**

> I think Morgan's middle name is canon by now... Also, I have no idea what this is, but it was fun to write lmao

Tony was woken up by a light punch against his chin. When he opened his eyes to survey his surroundings, he realized, it wasn’t a punch. It was a kick. Morgan had snuck into their bed, early in the morning, he guessed, and was now laying with her head at the foot of the bed and her feet at the head of it. Curled up in a ball with no blanket, she snored lightly, kept warm by her pajamas patterned with Disney princesses. Her soft cap of hair was ruffled in complete ridiculous cowlicks and her long dark eyelashes rested on her perfect peach-like cheeks, fluttering to dreams.  
  
Tony smiled, as he felt a surge of love well up within him. He planted a kiss on the sole of each soft foot and closed his eyes, savoring her taste and her smell. His precious baby Morgan... She would always make him feel like the luckiest man on earth. And with baby number two on the way now, he could only imagine how much deeper his love as a father would go. Being a dad still felt like a dream, even if he was living that dream every day—all thanks to the woman next to him. He loved her so much; Pepper was his life, his love, his everything; everything that he was and everything that he would be.  
  
As Tony looked at her, his smile grew, seeing she was already awake. “There’s a stowaway in our bed.”  
  
“I noticed,” Pepper replied, smiling back at him. She grabbed Morgan’s right foot and gave it a little shake, then held it out to Tony. “You look hungry. Want a bite?”  
  
Tony smirked, glancing at his child’s small figure. “I’d love to,” he said, looking at Pepper again. “Bet it tastes real sweet.”  
  
“Oh, I’m sure it does,” she answered with a grin. “So, whatchu waiting for? Go ahead!”  
  
A gurgle of laughter rang out in the silence, coming from the foot of the bed. They both smirked, and then Tony pulled his daughter’s foot to his mouth and started nibbling gently on her big toe.  
  
“It tastes like candy,” he remarked, as he nibbled on another toe. “So sweet! You wanna try, hon?”

The gurgle became a giggle, and the giggle became a laugh. The laugh became a hysterical peal of laughter, and then she was kicking her leg, trying to get him off. It was like a goldfish fighting off a tiger shark. And it looked so adorable—the way she was writhing, laughing so hard that tears flowed down her cheeks—Tony had to let her foot go, simply because of the fact his mouth was full of laughter. It was full and deep and delightful. By the time he had calmed down, Morgan was sitting on his stomach, like a lump of lead, straddling his wide frame, her eyes watching him.

It was a picture of domestic bliss—the only real happiness, he thought—and he had found it.

Tony placed his hands on her hips, holding her at her waist, and smiled with half of his mouth. “What are we doing today, baby?”

“Why you eat my foot, daddy?” She asked that question, as if she were really serious about it and Pepper couldn’t help but laugh. Her face turned to her mother immediately. “Does he eat you too, mommy?”

Tony pressed his lips together in an attempt not to laugh, but out exited a snort of a giggle. He coughed and gazed at Pepper, wondering how she could’ve laughed earlier but now stayed so cool. When she looked back at him, her grin was so wide he thought it might split her face.  
  
“All the time, sweetie,” Pepper said, leering at Tony. “Your father is a very... very... hungry man.”  
  
Tony’s jaw dropped comically as he gaped at her before dissolving in a fit of laughter. “I just can’t get enough,” he laughed, moving to peck Pepper’s cheek. The look on his daughter’s face almost made him laugh harder. “You’re still my favorite thing to eat, though,” he told her, leaning forward, tickling her skin with his whiskers, as he showered her face with kisses.  
  
Morgan laughed heartily, her small fingers wrapping around his cheeks so she could hold him back. “Stop,” she howled, but Tony tickled her belly, and the sides of her body.  
  
She tried crawling off of him, right into the save arms of her mother, but her father’s grip was too tight, and so Tony continued his assault on her, tickling the little girl into a frenzy of laughter until it sounded like she would suffocate from it. He stopped then, and just looked at her in silence, as she came down from her high. Morgan was still laughing, but the longer he gazed at her the more she quieted down, and when all of her giggles had left her, she finally hopped off of him and fell into Pepper’s arms. Pepper cradled her against her chest, both eyeing the man next to them.  
  
Tony chuckled and reached out to trace a finger slowly down Morgan’s cheek. “I love you, baby. I love you both so much.” He snuggled up against his wife, pillowing his head on her shoulder, while his hand rested on Morgan’s leg. “You two make daddy the happiest he’s ever been,” he whispered. “You three.”  
  
Morgan’s face crinkled in confusion. “Why three?” she asked, and Tony face-palmed himself.

Pepper’s body shook with laughter, as she let out, “Now, _this_ will be interesting!” She looked at him with her eyebrows arched innocently. “Why three, Tony?”

Morgan kicked him lightly against his torso. “Tell us, daddy!”  
  
“Ouch.” Tony scratched the back of his head, frowning, then ruffled his hair. He didn’t even know where to begin, but there was no going back now. He knew his daughter and he knew she wouldn’t rest until he had explained it to her. When he looked at Morgan, he could see her just bursting with curiosity.  
  
“So... there’s... I mean, your mama, she’s...” Tony sighed. “Do you have any idea where babies come from?”  
  
“I’m not sure,” she said, wrinkling her forehead. “Peter told me that the Stork brings the babies, but—“  
  
“W–Wait, what? You talked to Peter about _sex_?” he exclaimed in shock, Tony’s loose tongue rolling around his mouth as the words tumbled clumsily out.  
  
“What is that?” Morgan giggled. She had never heard the word, but it definitely sounded funny.  
  
Tony turned his gaze away from his child and stared at his wife. Pepper was grinning like crazy. “Go on,” she encouraged him, “It’s so much fun watching you dig your own grave.” She laughed, bumping his shoulder, and he groaned in response.  
  
“Well, sex is... is, uh... It’s a kind of cuddling grown-ups do to show how much they love each other,” Tony explained to her, hoping she would be satisfied with his answer. “And, you know, sometimes a man and a woman can make a baby when they have sex.” It really didn’t feel right to let her know all this, given how young she still was, but he’d rather she heard it from him than someone else.  
  
Her wide eyes glued to his face, Morgan waited eagerly for more. When she realized he wasn’t going to say more, she looked at him, as if he had told her a fairy tale with no happy ending. “Can you show me how you make a baby?”  
  
Pepper laughed at the expression on Tony’s face. Of course it wasn’t much of a leap for their inquisitive four-year-old to want to see a real-life demonstration, but neither one of them had expected her to ask that question. “No, sweetie, we can’t,” she told her kid.  
  
“Why not?” Morgan let her lip pout to astronomical proportions.  
  
“Adults make babies during private time together alone. You know, like your father said, sometimes we... like to cuddle to show each other how much we love each other. That’s how we made you,” Pepper said, smiling. “But it was during special alone-time for us.”  
  
The toddler harrumphed loudly, expelling air and disgruntlement, clearly disapproving of her mother’s response—and just when her parents thought disappointment was making her sulky enough to not want to continue having this conversation, Morgan opened her mouth again, asking “But how are babies made when you cuddle?”  
  
Tony sighed internally, knowing his child would never stop asking until he had put every card on the table, so there were no questions left for her to ask. “Well, it’s... It’s...”  
  
“An amazing thing,” Pepper remarked.  
  
“Right. Yes. It’s definitely amazing.”  
  
“But how?” Morgan bounced a little on the mattress like an eager child on Christmas Eve. “I wanna know, daddy. Tell me... Tell meeee!”  
  
Tony groaned, as Morgan’s feet struck him again in the abdominal area. “Morgan Maria Stark, stop kicking me, alright? That hurts! And I won’t tell you anything, if you keep doing that,” he scolded his child. But as soon as he saw the sweet, sad-eyed look on her face his hard expression softened. “Hey, it’s okay,” Tony murmured, gently touching her cheek.  
  
“I’m sorry, daddy,” she apologized, her eyes fixated on the sheets. “I just wanna know.” Hesitantly, she met his gaze, afraid to see real anger in Tony’s eyes.  
  
“I know you do, baby,” Tony said, smiling sweetly at her. His thumb grazed her cheek, stroking lightly down to her jaw. “But you gotta be patient with me, because this... It’s not, uh, something daddies like to talk to their kids about.” He bent forward to kiss the spot his thumb had been touching. “I just...” He sighed deeply. “Having this talk with you means you’re growing up and I don’t want you to grow up.” He kissed her again, on the temple this time. “I just wish you could stay my little girl forever.”  
  
Morgan crawled closer, nestling in the spot between her parents. She snuggled up to her mother, eyes on her father, and smiled. “Forever is a long time,” she said with a chuckle.  
  
“It is,” Tony replied, “but when it comes to you, it’s not even long enough.” He kissed her cheek again, making her giggle, and glanced quickly at Pepper, who looked like she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. She always melted watching the sweet bond between father and daughter.  
  
“You know, Morgan,” Pepper began to speak—if she didn’t, she might start crying. “Your daddy and I... made a baby. I mean another one. We love each other very much and so we...”  
  
“Cuddle a lot,” Tony butted in.  
  
“Yeah...” Pepper smiled. “And the way we did that... Well, you see, daddies have seeds and mommies have eggs, and when we have...”  
  
“Sex?” Morgan interrupted her, and Tony flinched at hearing the word come out of his child’s mouth—his sweet, _innocent_ child. But Pepper seemed unfazed. She just stroked their daughter’s head lovingly and even looked proud at how grown up their baby already seemed to be.  
  
“When we have... When we had sex a few weeks ago... a seed from daddy and an egg from me joined together in my tummy. And that’s where our baby grows.” She put one hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently. “Right here... In a special sack, called the womb.“ Pepper drew in a shaky breath, smiling widely as tears brimmed against her eyes.  
  
Morgan furrowed her brow. “Do you mean an egg like the ones we buy at the market? Where does daddy keep his seeds?” she asked, looking at her father. “Do you have to water them?”  
  
Tony laughed loudly. God, she was adorable! “No, honey, I don’t have to water them, because they are... special seeds,” he said, chuckling. “And mommy’s got special eggs. That’s the amazing part about it... Making a baby is very, very special. And some people aren’t that lucky to make one, because unfortunately their seeds or eggs aren’t... special. But that doesn’t mean those people are worth less, you understand? It’s just life. And sometimes bad things happen to good people... like good people not getting to have babies. And, you know, it’s really sad when you want to have a baby, but you can’t make one, so your mama and I are extremely happy that we get to have _two_ wonderful babies.” Tony cracked a bewitching smile, looking at Pepper. “We’re lucky!”  
  
Morgan‘s eyes went straight to her mother’s belly. She reached out a hand and touched it, and the tender gesture made a shiver ripple across Pepper’s body. “Can the baby see or hear anything when she’s in your tummy?” the child asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “Is he hungry? Does he sleep inside your tummy?” The words rushed from her mouth, curiosity overwhelming her. “What does he look like now? Is he lonely in there?” Morgan stared at Pepper with wide eyes. “Why doesn’t the baby fall out when you pee?”  
  
Her parents both laughed, looking at each other with a grin. “Those are a lot of questions, sweetie,” Pepper said, smiling at her. “But you’re allowed to ask anything you want.”  
  
“Uh, we’ll see about that,” Tony remarked, fearing he would have to answer questions he felt even more uncomfortable about.  
  
Pepper thought for a moment, trying to remember her daughter’s words, and then she spoke. “Well, the baby is still very small, but you can talk to it, if you want.” Pepper smiled. “I’m sure it would love to hear your voice... Get to know its big sister. Just don’t say any bad words, okay?”  
  
Morgan chuckled and looked at her father, who instantly felt accused of something. “Hey, why you looking at me, kid?” Tony complained, but had to laugh at her stupid grin. He ruffled her hair; she tried to slap his hand away, giggling.  
  
“You wanted to know, if the baby is hungry or lonely, right?” Pepper asked and Morgan nodded before she buried her face into Pepper’s side, trying to get out of Tony’s reach.  
  
“It’s not lonely in there,” Tony chose to answer that question. “Because your mother and the baby have a strong connection. Kinda like you two have, but it’s... When the baby is hungry, Mama can feel it, you know. So she just grabs a bite to eat and the baby is satisfied. Or if it’s thirsty, she just has something to drink. Your mom is basically a superhero. She can feel _anything_ that baby feels. She knows what it wants and needs, even though the baby can’t talk yet. And the baby never has to be lonely because it can feel that Mommy is there, taking care of it.” Tony looked at Pepper, his eyes full of love and admiration. “And you two have the best mommy in the world... and that’s why Daddy loves her more than anything.”  
  
Morgan saw the way her father was looking at her mother. She had seen grown-ups look at each other with love, but she had never seen a look as deep and devoted as his. She was really happy to have parents who loved each other so very much, because some of her friends sadly weren’t that lucky. They grew up in separated homes, with parents who acted like they hated each other. It had always made her feel uneasy, because deep down she had feared it could happen to her, too. She knew now that it never would. She was safe in this home. She was safe in these arms. She always would be.  
  
_I love you_ , Pepper mouthed silently.  
  
Tony kissed the side of her face. “I love you most,” he whispered, smiling against her skin, as he breathed in her scent. Then he leaned back and looked at his daughter. “You remember what your mother told you about the special sack? The womb where the baby’s living in?” Morgan nodded. “That’s why it doesn’t fall out when mommy pees. Think of it as being locked up inside home. It can’t get out. But, um... It’s not scared or anything, alright? It likes living in mommy’s tummy, because it feels safe in there, safer than it would feel outside here right now. It has to grow up first before it can take on the world, like you did.”  
  
“I was in mommy’s tummy too?” she asked, thinking she already knew the answer to that one.  
  
“Yes, you were, baby,” Pepper replied, smiling.  
  
Morgan felt proud that she guessed it right. She understood now, most of it at least. “How is the new baby going to get out of your tummy?” That was something she still didn’t understand. “Daddy said it can’t get out... It’s locked up.”  
  
Tony chuckled. “That’s right, but, you know, at some point the baby will be too big to fit inside anymore, and need more food than it can get from mommy's tummy. So then it’s ready to be born and the, um…  the doors will, uh... magically open.”

Pepper had to laugh, as she saw the confused look on Morgan’s face. Clearly, her daughter couldn’t make sense of her father’s words. “Remember when we talked about men having a penis and women having a vagina?”  
  
“Oh God,” Tony groaned, his body shuddering at the memory. “Please don’t remind me.”  
  
“I wasn’t talking to you, honey,” Pepper chuckled, gazing at her daughter. “So, you remember?”  
  
“Yes,” Morgan answered, as she put a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle.  
  
“Okay, so when the baby is big and strong enough, strong muscles in my tummy will push it down my vagina, and out from between my legs,” she explained to her. “It will take a few hours, and I'll go to the hospital so the doctors can help the baby come out and give it a checkup right away. And when that happens, I might be in a lot of pain and yelling and screaming at your dad,” Pepper glanced at Tony, smirking, “but you don’t have to worry then, darling. Everything will be fine, I promise.”  
  
“Grandma will look after you for two or three days, then Mommy and the new baby will come home and we’ll all be together,” Tony said, smiling. “We have to wait a few more months, but I’m already so excited to meet your brother or sister. I’m really, really happy.“ He trailed his hand down to Pepper’s stomach, lifting her shirt a little so he could touch her bare skin. Then nuzzling his child’s hair, he murmured, “How do you feel about this, sugar bug? Is it okay for you to share us with the new baby? Are you happy? I want you to be happy.”  
  
Morgan, still snuggled up against her mom, watched silently as her father caressed her mother’s belly. She knew it would grow bigger, but wondered if it hurt when it did. She didn’t ask, though, and instead thought about her father’s words. Was she happy? No, excited. She was really excited, not just happy. Sharing her parents with someone else would be something she would have to get used to, but she loved babies. And she loved the thought of having one in the family that she could call her sister or her brother. She already had so many ideas of what she could teach her sibling; what she could show him or her. There was so much they could do on the farm.  
  
“I’m happy,” she said, smiling at her father, and he breathed a deep sigh of relief. The little girl crawled back to where she had sat earlier and pulled Tony’s hand away from Pepper’s stomach, making room to lay her head down there.  
  
Pepper’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. “What are you doing, baby?” she asked, gazing at Tony, who, too, had tears in his eyes.  
  
“I’m trying to hear something,” Morgan answered. “But I can’t. It’s quiet.”  
  
“You wanna hear something? Like what, the heartbeat?” Pepper ran a hand through Morgan’s hair, playing with her soft curls.  
  
“I don’t hear anything,” she said. “Is the baby okay, mommy?” She kept her head on Pepper’s stomach, but her eyes looked up at her mother, darkened with worry.  
  
“The baby is fine, sweetie. I can feel it.” Running a finger over Morgan’s cheek, Pepper smiled reassuringly. “You don’t have to worry.”  
  
Tony let his head fall back against Pepper’s shoulder. Then he started grinning foolishly. “You wanna hear the baby’s heartbeat? Why don’t you ask F.R.I.D.A.Y? She might be able to help you with that.”  
  
“But how?” Morgan frowned lifting her head.  
  
“Just ask,” Tony said.  
  
“F.R.I.D.A.Y?” the child addressed the AI. “Can I hear the heartbeat?”  
  
“Of course, I will play it for you right away, Princess Morgan.”  
  
Morgan giggled. She had explicitly told her father that she wanted the AI to call her a princess, but she still wasn’t used to the whole concept. It was fun having F.R.I.D.A.Y around, but sometimes she also didn’t like it, because F.R.I.D.A.Y always knew what she was up to. And F.R.I.D.A.Y had already narced on her a few times in the past. Morgan felt like she could hardly do anything her parents didn’t want her to do without getting in trouble, because F.R.I.D.A.Y was constantly watching her. But she didn’t think that was overall a bad thing. It was good too, because knowing that F.R.I.D.A.Y was always there to look out for her made her feel safe. It made her feel protected. Even if her parents weren’t there, she was never alone.  
  
“Do you hear that?” Tony said. “The thumping sound? That’s the baby’s heartbeat.” Morgan’s small face lit up with a huge smile. “Do you hear how strong it sounds?” Tony smiled back at her sweetly, a tear slipping out from the corner of his eye. He would never get tired of hearing that sound. “The baby’s perfectly healthy, so you don’t have to worry about anything, okay?” Opening his arms, he said, “Come here, my sweet little girl,” and enveloped her in a tight hug when she fell into his embrace. He kissed her head, not once but multiple times, and sighed. “I’m so happy you were born, you know that? So happy!” Tears ran down his cheek, as he held her.  
  
Pepper watched the two of them hug, unable to keep herself from crying. At least she had an excuse—her hormones. What excuse did he have for being such a sappy little shit?

Turning to reach the bedside table, she grabbed the ultrasound photo she had showed Tony last night and looked at it briefly before turning back to her husband and child. “You asked us what the baby looks like....” she addressed her daughter. “We don’t have a clear picture yet, but look at this, Morgie. That’s our baby.” When Morgan turned to face her, Pepper’s smile had reached her eyes—it was sickening how happy she was.  
  
“It looks... funny,” she said, chuckling.  
  
“I know, baby, but in a few weeks, we‘ll be able to see so much more. It’s growing every single day.”  
  
“Does it hurt?”  
  
“Does what hurt, honey?”  
  
“The baby growing. Your belly...”  
  
“Not really, no.” Putting the photo away, Pepper cupped Morgan’s cheek with her hand, her thumb stroking it gently. “It feels like... It just makes me happy, you know? To feel the baby growing inside me.” She was still smiling when she said the next words, although memories from the past threatened to cut that smile right from her lips. “What would be bad was if I didn’t feel anything.” From the corner of her eye, she could see Tony swallowing hard, haunted by that same memory.  
  
“What’s its name?” Morgan asked.  
  
“Oh, we don’t have a name picked out yet, because we don’t know if it’s a boy or girl.“ Pepper leaned forward to kiss her daughter’s face. “Do you wanna help with that?”  
  
“Yes,” Morgan squealed, as she jumped up and down. Since she was still sitting on top of him, Tony felt every one of her bouncing moves. He groaned; Morgan just responded with a soft giggle, crawling off of her father and right into her mother’s lap. Pepper locked her daughter safely in her arms, sighing with content.  
  
“So, is there anything else that you want to know about babies, Morgan Stark?” Tony asked her, tickling her small feet. She laughed, kicking a little—her laughter was another sound he would never get tired of hearing.  
  
Morgan wrinkled her forehead, thinking for a brief moment. Then she asked, “Can I have a baby?”  
  
Pepper laughed, as she thought of what was probably going through Tony’s head right now and decided to answer for him. He seemed to be at a loss of words anyway. “No, because making babies is something only grown-ups can do. Your body isn’t ready yet, but it will be when you’re older.”  
  
“Can I have a baby when I’m old enough to get my ears pierced?”  
  
Tony’s jaw dropped, and he paled in what Pepper could only describe as terror. “Absolutely not,” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “And who said anything about... Uh-uh. No one’s getting his ears pierced, young lady.”  
  
“Uh-huh,” Morgan let out in a sarcastic tone. “And why do you have a hole in your ear, daddy?”

Tony’s jaw dropped another notch. Wait, was she mocking him? During the flash of her smirk, he caught the smugness behind in her face. Damn right she was. Oh God, he and Pepper had created a monster. A little monster with an adorable face, soft hair, a heart full of love and a sharp mind; a monster so stinking cute that he asked himself every day what he had ever done to deserve her. There would never be a time where he wouldn’t thank life for blessing him with this precious little girl; never a time where he would take anything he had for granted. That included Pepper. Just hearing her laugh like that made Tony feel like his heart could jump right out of his chest. Boy, he had really lucked out, hadn’t he?  
  
“Well, yeah... you got me. I’m guilty of the crime. So is your mom, by the way. Can we make a deal, though?” Morgan didn’t say anything, as she just waited for him to continue. He sniffed; that special little thing he did whenever he was starting to become emotional. “You can get your ears pierced when you turn six, it’s actually not that big of a deal, but this baby talk... It’s off the table until you’re twenty-one... at least!”  
  
“Do you want me to pinky promise?” she asked.  
  
“No, baby, I just want you to stop giving me hell.” A nervous chuckle burst from his lips.  
  
“I think Daddy’s just freaking out at the idea of you becoming a woman one day,” Pepper stated with a grin, as she ran a hand over Morgan’s head. The little girl giggled.  
  
“Your mom is right,” Tony admitted. “So, what do you say, kid? Do we have a deal?” Morgan nodded. “Great! Now let’s go get some food. I’m starving.”  
  
“Can we stay here?” His daughter looked into his eyes as if she was begging.  
  
“You wanna stay in bed?”  
  
“Yes,” she replied softly. “I wanna cuddle with you and mommy.“

“You know, on second thought... I’m actually not that hungry.”  
  
Tony lay back down, waited for Pepper and Morgan to do the same, and as soon as they had, he pulled the sheets over them and rolled on his side, one arm circling his daughter’s waist. It rested on the small of Pepper’s back, so he could hold both of them tight. Pepper’s arm wrapped around his middle, and Morgan lay on her side, her face turned to her mother, one arm draped around Pepper’s body. The three of them huddled together with their heads only inches apart, as silence settled between them for a few minutes. All the while, Tony’s gaze remained focused on Pepper’s face, his eyes staring into hers. A ridiculously sexy smile curled his lips, and then he emitted a soft laugh.  
  
“What?” Pepper asked.  
  
“Nothin’... Was just thinking we might have to get a bigger bed soon to fit all four of us in here.” The certainty of having another child in just a few months made him so happy that his eyes started to sparkle with joy.  
  
“Less room means we all have to cuddle up closer,” Pepper replied, smirking a little.  
  
Tony smirked right back at her. “We have to get a smaller bed then,” he said, his hand maneuvering its way across Pepper’s head and down her temple. Moving it smoothly further down to her cheek, he cupped her face, his eyes staring at her lips. “Gimme a kiss, Potts,” he ordered, his lips quivering, as though they were going to explode should she make him wait another second.  
  
“Come and get it,” she answered, laughing softly.  
  
For a brief moment, Tony’s mouth crushed down on hers, hard and insistent. Then his mouth softened as he gently parted her lips. Pepper moaned in response to his touch, the seductive sound weaving into his blood and urging more. Tony remembered the kid lying between them and pulled back, while he still had the strength to do so. He licked his lips, looking into Pepper’s eyes, counting the shades of blue that watched him back. Her gorgeous smile dominated him as her pupils stared and followed his. She was so beautiful, even without any make-up on, _especially_ without make-up on. He had never seen such natural beauty.  
  
“God, I’m addicted,” he let out.  
  
“You are?” Pepper asked, still smiling. “To what?”

“Happiness… My kid… You...” He was dying to kiss her again, to finish what they’d started. “Mostly just you.”

She chuckled and ran a finger down his cheek. “Well, do you wanna be cured?” she quipped.  
  
“No,” he shot back. “Never. I only want more. More of this... More of you. Let’s make more babies.”  
  
“Honey...” She laughed. “Can we wait for this one first,” she cupped her belly, “and see how we handle two before—“  
  
“Five, okay? Five babies... Five is our lucky number, Pep. C’mon.”  
  
“Since when is five—“  
  
“Since you asked me what my social security number was when we had our first dance.” Pepper smiled at the memory, her heart feeling warmth she couldn’t described. ”I see you remember,” Tony noticed the look on her face.  
  
“Am I allowed to think about it?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Thank you,” she said.  
  
“Oh, look who’s fallen back to sleep,” he nodded towards their daughter and leaned down to give her a kiss. He ran a hand through her hair and turned back to Pepper. “So, have you thought about it?”  
  
She shook her head, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Three.”

“Five,” he countered.

“Three.”

“Alright, alright... Four,” he said. “Five by accident.”

“Tony, I’m the one who has to carry and give birth to them,” she argued, but had to giggle.  
  
“And I’m the one being in the throes of delivery room anxiety every time you give birth, so I think that makes us even.”  
  
“God, you’re terrible!” He was driving her nuts. But, admittedly, that was one of the things she loved about him. She loved how much of a pain in the ass he could be every now and then, because life with him was just never boring. Besides, he still managed to be adorable, even if she wanted to wring his neck. “Can’t we just enjoy ourselves? And if something happens then we—“  
  
“Let it happen? Yes... Sure. We can totally do that,” Tony mumbled. “I’m all for casual sex. No strings, just fun. Starting right now or...?”  
  
She stared at him, long and deeply, and then very nearly dissolved into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. He took note of that, grinning, as he wiggled his eyebrows comically and tipped his head in a playful manner. His chocolate brown eyes danced with amusement when she buried her face in the pillow and groaned in frustration. Little-girl laughter tinkled from Tony’s throat, as he lowered his head next to hers, his mouth so close to her ear that she could feel the warmth of his breath caressing the sensitive area inside her auricle.  
  
“It sucks that I’m so goddamn irresistible, doesn’t it?” Tony whispered, as he kissed the soft spot just below her ear.  
  
“You’re a jerk… That’s what you are,” she groaned into the pillowcase, turning her face to the side to look him in the eye. He was grinning like an idiot. Pepper laughed involuntarily, knowing that, unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.  
  
She had spent decades fighting the urge to jump his bones, years resisting his sexual advances, but ever since he was hers completely, ever since they had gotten married, she could hardly resist anything he did to get inside her defenses. The sheer force of his sex appeal was enough to send shivers down her spine and shorten her breath. She could never stop her mind from translating all that raw masculinity into hot sexual fantasy; not when he talked like that with his low words rasping across her skin. She knew it worked both ways, though. The power of her sex appeal was just as alluring to him as his was to her.  
  
Tony laughed. She looked so sweet with that sulky expression around her mouth. “How about I make us some breakfast?” he suggested, smiling. He eased a corkscrew curl off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.  
  
Pepper caught his hand, holding it against the side of her face. Then she nestled her cheek into his palm and sighed, closing her eyes. “You know I’d have all your babies...”  
  
Tony watched the flush climb into her cheeks. “I know,” he said softly. “And I hope _you_ know, I’m happy with the babies we already have.” His mouth blossomed into a smile. “I couldn’t _be_ happier.”  
  
“You don’t miss it at all?” Pepper asked, slowly opening her eyes. “Being Iron Man?”  
  
“What do you mean?” He chuckled. “I still am Iron Man. No one can take that away from me.” Then he paused, his gaze shifting to the small figure nestled between their bodies. He stroked Morgan’s head, feeling the familiar warmth in his heart as he watched her sleep. “Besides,” he continued, looking up again. “This right here… becoming a father… is the most heroic thing I’ve ever done.” He kept smiling. “And honey... being a dad is so... _so_ much better than being a superhero.”


End file.
